US judge suspended after girl on courtroom visit forced to wear jail uniform

A Detroit judge who ordered a teenager into jail clothes and handcuffs while she was on an organised visit to his courtroom will be off the bench while undergoing “necessary training”, the court’s chief judge said.

The girl’s mother said Judge Kenneth King was a “big bully”.

“My daughter is hurt. She is feeling scared,” Latoreya Till told the Detroit Free Press.

She identified her daughter as Eva Goodman. The 15-year-old fell asleep in Judge King’s court on Tuesday while on a visit organised by a Detroit non-profit organisation.

Judge King said it was her attitude that led to the jail clothes, handcuffs and stern words.

“I wanted this to look and feel very real to her, even though there’s probably no real chance of me putting her in jail,” he explained to WXYZ-TV.

He has been temporarily removed from the bench and will undergo “necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident”, said William McConico, the chief judge at 36th District Court.

The court “remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. The actions of Judge King on August 13th do not reflect this commitment,” Judge McConico said.

He said the State Court Administrative Office approved the step. Judge King will continue to be paid, and etails about the training, and how long it would last, were not disclosed.

Ms Till said her daughter was sleepy during the court visit because the family does not have a permanent residence.

“And so, that particular night, we got in kind of late,” she told the Free Press, referring to Monday night. “And usually, when she goes to work, she’s up and planting trees or being active.”

The teenager was seeing Judge King’s court as part of a visit organised by The Greening of Detroit, an environmental group.

“Although the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable,” said Marissa Ebersole Wood, the group’s chairperson. “The group of students should have been simply asked to leave the courtroom if he thought they were disrespectful.”